Apparel belt structure



Oct. 13, 1959 M. EPs'n-:IN

APPAREL BELT STRUCTURE File@ April s. 1957 AVN v .mm Nm mm m ATTyJ United States Patent() APPAREL BELT STRUCTURE Max Epstein, Rochester, N.Y assigner to Hickok Manufacturing Co. Inc., Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application April 5, 1957, Serial No. 650,942 s claims. (cl. z-szz) This invention relates to belts and pertains more particularly toI Vimprovements in the adjustment feature of belts.

It frequently happens in connection with belts, that suitable adjustment Astructure Vmust be utilized in order to permit the belt to accommodate for different size waists. One means of permitting length adjustments of belts is to incorporate a metal loop and a clasp cooperable therewith so that the belt may be passed through the loop and doubled back upon itself with the free end provided with the clasps to be cinched upon itself to vary the length of the doubled-back portion and thus accommodate for various belt lengths. However, it frequently occurs that the belt design does not lend itself readily to the incorporation of this type of adjustment since the looped back portion of the belt may detract from the appearance of the belt or otherwise unbalance the design thereof.

It is, therefore, of primary concern in connection with this invention to provide an improved belt construction particularly adapted to conceal an adjustment loop portion so that the same will not detract from the appearance of the belt.

Another object of this invention is to incorporate an improved construction in belts wherein the attaching tab construction employed in securing the belt buckle assembly to the waistband encircling portion of the belt is utilized to conceal the adjustment loop construction in the waistband encircling portion of the belt.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved belt construction incorporating an improved means for attaching the belt buckle and tongue assembly to the waistband encircling portion whereby to lend a more pleasing appearance to the belt and yet retaining suitable adjustment features thereof.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists n the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction, Within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan View of a belt constructed in accordance with this invention and showing the manner in which the doubled-back loop portion thereof is concealed; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the assembly shown in Fig. l and showing details of the belt construction.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the reference numerals l and 11 indicate the opposite ends of a waistband encircling portion of the belt which is ndicated generally by the reference character 12. Attached to the end 11 is a tongue assembly indicated generally by the reference character 13 and, as will be seen most ICC clearly in Fig. 2, the opposite end 10 is doubled back upon itself by being passed through vthe ring 14 and carries at its extremity .a clasp structure 15 Vby means of which it is cinched upon the waistband encircling portion. Thus, the length of the belt is doubled back upon itself and by loosening the clasp 15 and repositioning the same, the loop portion can be adjusted in length and, consequently, the total length of the waistband encircling portion of the belt to accommodate for different sizes of Waists.

The tongue 13 is preferably formed from a multilayer strip and having a divided Vtab portion 16 which straddles the terminal portion 11 by the layers 17 and 18 as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, and is stitched Ythereon to fasten the tongue assembly to the waistband encircling portion of the belt. The belt buckle assembly 19, on the other hand, is also attached to the waistband encircling portion through -the medium of a single or .multi-layer strip of leather or the like but in this case, one Vend thereof is folded on itself around the Vbar 14 of the adjustment ring 14!- forming a short tongue 20 which .is secured to the adjacent part of the strip. The intermediate and inner portion 2-1 of the strip extends longitudinally away -frorn .the waistband encircling portion Yand is formed in a `loop 1&1 to receive the bar l2.2 of the belt buckle 23, in the Yconventional manner; VAfter having been formed -in the loop 19a to `receive the .bar v22, the attaching stripis doubled back upon itself -in the outer portion 23 Vwhich portion may pass through a tongue retaining loop member 24, and at its terminal end forms a tab portion 25 which overlies the two loop portions 26 and 27 of the waistband encircling portion and multi-layered strip respectively, the loop portion 26 formed by the turned back waistband portion 10 passing around the other bar 2S of the adjustment ring 14.

It is preferred that, in the region of the adjacent loop portions 26 and 27, the tab portion 25 be the same or substantially the same width as the waistband encircling portion so that the two loop portions 26 and 27 are wholly or substantially wholly concealed therebeneath as is shown most clearly in Fig. l. In the particular example shown, this portion 30 of the tab 25 substantially wholly conceals thetwo loop portions and then tapers inwardly to the point 31 and for the sake of symmetry, the tongue attaching tab portion 16 is similarly formed.

The line of stitching 31 which is shown most clearly in F ig. l extends circumferentially around the belt buckle attaching strip and it is important to note that, although this line of stitching extends completely around the tab portion 25, it extends only through the tab portion in this region, whereas beyond the Widest portion of the tab toward the belt buckle, the line of stitching extends both through the overlying or outer layer of the strip and the underlying portions serving to secure these portions together. That is to say, the line of stitching as is shown in Fig. 2 terminates approximately at 32 in so far as securing together the overlying strip portions and from this,

forming a loop and having the free end thereof adjustably fixed to an intermediate portion of the band, a ring engaged with the loop defined by said doubled-back portion, a belt buckle assembly fixed to said ring and in- Patented Qct. 13, 1959 cluding a flap-like tab permanently positioned in overlying relation with said loop on the outer side of said band, the tab having a maximum width at least equal to that of the band and concealing the major portion of that part of the loop which is in engagement with the ring, said buckle assembly also including overlying inner and outer strip portions joined to dene a loop at one end of the same, a belt buckle fixed to and against detachment from the last mentioned loop, the inner strip portion being permanently xed to said ring and underlying the juncture of said outer strip portion and said tab, a tongue having one end joined to the-other end of the band and having said one end of a contour form similar to said tab, said tongue having its other end adapted for detachable connection with said buckle.

2. A belt assembly comprising a waistband and a tongue and buckle assembly separably coupling together' the ends .of the waistband, a portion of one end of the waistband being folded back upon itself and forming a loop and having the free end thereof adjustably attached to an intermediate portion of the waistband, a ring having said loop engaged with one side thereof, said tongue and buckle assembly including a buckle, a tongue and an elongate body, said elongate body comprising inner and outer laminations of material joined to form a loop permanently engaging said buckle, the inner lamination having an end portion folded upon and iixed against detachment from itself and forming a loop having a side of said ring fixed therein, the outer lamination having an end portion extending across the outer side of the ring, means securing said laminations together through the major extent of their length, said securing means stopping short of the end of said end portion of the outer lamination whereby said end portion of the outer lamination is free from and forms a tab lying across the ring and the loops engaged with the ring, and said tongue comprising a strip of material having one end secured to the other end of the waistband and adapted to have its other end detachably coupled with the buckle.

3. The invention according to claim 2, wherein the said laminations where in looped engagement with the buckle and the said other end portion of the tongue when engaging the buckle in the use of the belt assembly overlie one another, the said other end portion of the tongue through the major portion of its length being of the same width as the laminations where the same engage the buckle, the said outer lamination being of gradually increasing width toward the tab to an extent whereby the tab is given a maximum width approximately equal to that of the waist band and the tab functioning to overlie and hide the major portion of the ring and that underlying portion of the loop connected to the ring.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 158,429 McDonald Jan. 5, 1875 478,076 Asten July 5, 1892 718,360 Lauferty Jan. 13, 1903 1,973,646 Mix Sept. 1l, 1934 2,298,659 Staley Oct. 13, 1942 2,362,732 Tarbox Nov. 14, 1944 2,795,797 Reilly June 18, 1957 

